Annoying public skaters

Today I had the weirdest encounter but ended up getting really pissed off with a couple of public skaters.

There was a group of Uni age guys. One was strangely dressed as a medieval minstrel and was skating around with a cape and large fake hammer. Him and his group of friends were the kind of overconfident out of control idiots who don't take into account the safety of anyone else. The minstrel was being filmed on a camera by his friend who also wasn't watching where it was going.

I actually said to the rink patrol guy that it wasn't safe (what if he lost the hammer and it went flying and hit someone) and also cameras are banned. He did go and talk to them but it didn't stop them.

As I was practising the minstrel came up and asked me to show him some stuff. To which I replied "I am not a coach". He then kept telling me to show him stuff which I kept saying "I am not a coach" but he got quite snarky about it. Then turned around and his friend was filming me. He put the camera in my face and interview like asked why I wouldn't show his friend anything. Then I got really angry and told him to stop filming and to delete it (I do not want it appearing on Youtube). Thankfully the rink guy also arrived and told him to stop doing and he had already told him once. He did delete it.

Anyway I haven't been that angry at someone for a long time. I don't mind helping people if they ask me but these guys were idiots and I had no desire to help them. But the camera guy was the one who really p*ssed me off. I did not appreciate him filming me and would hate to think what he would have done with it if I hadn't made him delete it.

Today I had the weirdest encounter but ended up getting really pissed off with a couple of public skaters.

There was a group of Uni age guys. One was strangely dressed as a medieval minstrel and was skating around with a cape and large fake hammer. Him and his group of friends were the kind of overconfident out of control idiots who don't take into account the safety of anyone else. The minstrel was being filmed on a camera by his friend who also wasn't watching where it was going.

I actually said to the rink patrol guy that it wasn't safe (what if he lost the hammer and it went flying and hit someone) and also cameras are banned. He did go and talk to them but it didn't stop them.

As I was practising the minstrel came up and asked me to show him some stuff. To which I replied "I am not a coach". He then kept telling me to show him stuff which I kept saying "I am not a coach" but he got quite snarky about it. Then turned around and his friend was filming me. He put the camera in my face and interview like asked why I wouldn't show his friend anything. Then I got really angry and told him to stop filming and to delete it (I do not want it appearing on Youtube). Thankfully the rink guy also arrived and told him to stop doing and he had already told him once. He did delete it.

Anyway I haven't been that angry at someone for a long time. I don't mind helping people if they ask me but these guys were idiots and I had no desire to help them. But the camera guy was the one who really p*ssed me off. I did not appreciate him filming me and would hate to think what he would have done with it if I hadn't made him delete it.

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Who knew that the cast from THE BIG BANG THEORY would make a surprise visit to your rink.

Seriously, good on you for reinforcing safety. Rinks are the last places people should be fooling around. Little kids especially, who aren't as quick off the mark, could get hurt very easily.

When I used to skate at Rockefeller I would encounter rude people all the time. All while you're trying to practice - People asking if you're a "professional" because you have white skates, asking if you're going to the Olympics, and wanting to take pictures of you doing a "trick" like you're the tourist attraction. Also, the multiple proposals (weekly sometimes daily) that would inevitably happen center ice while you're working on something important. Everyone going "awwww!!" and I'm just annoyed because they're taking up my ice time.

The worst was when a large group of school children stood at the top railing, and anytime someone fell, they would "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!!!!!!!" en masse just to annoy people. Amazing that their teacher just let them continue.

Yes, people are rude. It does not surprise me at all that someone would show up at a rink wearing a medieval cape and think it's funny. Remember that most people think real life skating is Blades of Glory. It's just a big joke to them. Mainly, because they are jealous they can't do it.

Whenever I end up on a public session, I have to remind myself, "This is for the public. This is their session. And as we know from many election results and traffic incidents, the public is notoriously stupid!" Adjust your expectations accordingly.

This happened on a roller skating public session, but they were the most annoying public skaters I'd seen in a long time. These three people were absolutely wasted and falling all over themselves every fifteen feet!
They were a danger to themselves and everyone there.

Whenever I end up on a public session, I have to remind myself, "This is for the public. This is their session. And as we know from many election results and traffic incidents, the public is notoriously stupid!" Adjust your expectations accordingly.

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This.

Public sessions are for people to just have fun. Not for figure skaters.

That sucks, especially for someone like me who has no other ice time than public skates but I know that if I skate there there are people on the ice who are just having fun and have no idea about safety.

Public sessions are for people to just have fun. Not for figure skaters.

That sucks, especially for someone like me who has no other ice time than public skates but I know that if I skate there there are people on the ice who are just having fun and have no idea about safety.

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The public sessions as there for everyone, doesn't matter if you turn up to have fun or practising. I can't normally get to figure sessions so public sessions have to do. But they have to be safe as well and properly managed. I can only imagine if I had showed those idiots stuff how much more dangerous they would have been because it would have given them a whole other level of confidence. One of the reasons I refused.

Him and his group of friends were the kind of overconfident out of control idiots who don't take into account the safety of anyone else.

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I'm sorry you had such a horrible training session. Things like these have happened to me several times over the years, since I, too, skate during public hours sometimes.
It's not just annoying and dangerous, it's putting you to the test: you have to decide whether to be polite, maybe daring enough to cope with them and show them a "trick" or something, or whether to back out of any conversation because you would end up even more annoyed and maybe ridiculed. Saying that you're not a coach was just the right thing, IMO.
The filming is especially outrageous. I can well understand that you don't want to be exposed on YouTube by someone you don't trust in.

I've met people during public hours who were utterly nice and well behaved, and also their annoying counterparts. Thank heavens, most times some club mates were with me.

Once a weirdo decidedly knocked me over while I was (going very slowly) entering a jump.

I wish you all the best for your upcoming training sessions, public ice or club ice, and most of all I wish you more pleasant company at the rink!

I feel your pain! I skate a lot of midday publics, which are generally quiet, but occasionally attract idiots. Case in point, last spring there were three young, I'm guessing early 20s, guys flying around on a public session. They would skate as fast as they could and then have those awful falls off the back of their blades because they couldn't stop. Our skate guard wasn't doing anything about it; most likely because he is a teenager and was probably intimidated.

After the third fall in which someone nearly busted a head, I skated over and told them that they needed to calm down or I would have to ask them to leave. (I'm a part-time manager and coach at my rink and do have the authority to do such things.) The guy who was the wildest got all puffed up and said, "Well, I'm a Marine!" What this had to do with anything, I don't know. I guess he was implying that Marines can do whatever they want or that he could beat me up. Whatever. I told him that I could call the police if necessary, and then I asked him how he would be able to help his country if he wound up in the hospital with a head injury from skating. This seemed to click with him, and they actually calmed down and then left within five minutes.

My rink employs a lot of teenagers and they seem afraid or just dont want to wield any of the power they actually have. I've been tempted to clock in when I'm skating for my own enjoyment because I've had to deal with situations more than once.

wow, I don't think I've ever been to a rink where cameras are banned! Why are they banned?

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Although not explicitly banned, a lot of rinks in the UK make you fill in a form, or ask permission from rink management, before filming or taking photos on public sessions. And you're only allowed to film/photograph specified people (e.g. relative, friend etc) It's not a safety thing though, it's a child protection thing.

You can jump on your public sessions? At my rinks, no jumping is permitted.

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I dont know the specific "rules" for my rink, but i have jumped in public sessions and no one has said anything. Obviously, if its a packed session with disco lights i wouldn't even bother (it would be highly unlikely that id be at a session like that anyway), but its its a quiet session i don't see the issue.

You can jump on your public sessions? At my rinks, no jumping is permitted.

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It is allowed, given that you are as sensible as not to go too fast. We're responsible for what we're doing, and we always take care. We would not jump when the rink is crowded, and not do any jumps using toepicks, of course, and I don't do doubles anyways. I've never hit anyone, nor has any of my mates. There is no rule saying that jumps were not allowed during public sessions.

Isn't there a privacy act to protect people from having their pictures taken by strangers? I know one can get into trouble taking pictures of children in the public and worse still if the pictures are published. Should talk or write to the management of the rink to ensure rules are enforced to ensure safety and privacy of others using the rink.

One time I showed up to skate a public session right after Jojo Starbuck performed. An older man asked for her autograph. Then (bless his heart) he saw me wearing my attire and asked if I was a skater. I said yes and he asked for my autograph too. I said, "Sure, but I'm not famous." He said oh, and walked away.

Recently (at a regular indoor rink) a mom flagged me down while I was working on my Moves and offered me money to teach her daughter. I told her that I couldn't because I was trying to practice. Why did she think I was there, to just hang out? Also, I could get in trouble for taking money and not being a licensed coach. It was awkward.

I got paid $100 once from a guy who wanted me to help his kids for an hour. I had been doing kids parties and the rink would get skaters (whether coaches or more experienced skaters) to assist with them. However when I realised he was just after a baby sitting service so he didn't have to watch the kids, the next time he turned up I tried to avoid him. When he did speak to me I told him I couldn't do it because I had to practise. He then got someone else to do it. She did it for 15 minutes and told him the same thing.

........One time I showed up to skate a public session right after Jojo Starbuck performed. An older man asked for her autograph. Then (bless his heart) he saw me wearing my attire and asked if I was a skater. I said yes and he asked for my autograph too. I said, "Sure, but I'm not famous." He said oh, and walked away. .........

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That used to happen to me when I was younger. I found it easier to just give them the autograph.

I got paid $100 once from a guy who wanted me to help his kids for an hour. I had been doing kids parties and the rink would get skaters (whether coaches or more experienced skaters) to assist with them. However when I realised he was just after a baby sitting service so he didn't have to watch the kids, the next time he turned up I tried to avoid him. When he did speak to me I told him I couldn't do it because I had to practise. He then got someone else to do it. She did it for 15 minutes and told him the same thing.

Shoot, I'd take $100 to babysit someone's kids on the ice for an hour. You won't get in trouble for acting as a coach if you are babysitting. Some parents don't like to offend their kids by using the B word, so they ask people to "help" their kids with things (this applies to all situations, not just skating).

I think there is a difference between "helping" someone skate and teaching someone to skate. I and other people I know of work with people who have disabilities who we take to activities including skating. So when we go skating with them, we are indeed getting paid to help those clients skate, and by necessity that usually requires some amount of instruction, but it does not count as professional coaching, does not involve the formalities of professional coaching, and does not avail us to the privileges that professional coaches have. (FYI, I was an instructor about 25+ years ago when I could still skate).

We can do practically anything in public sessions if there is enough space. The center ice is coned off for freestyle skating. There will be people doing freestyle in the center and in the corners in public sessions. There are also always private freestyle lessons going on in basically every public session.